Real-World Workflow Examples

Real-World Example 1: Leave Workflow (Simple)

Here is what a simple, single-step workflow looks like in practice:

1. An employee submits a leave request → triggers the DRAFT node ("EXPENSE Submitted").
2. The document enters the Reporting Manager step (TRIGGER: PENDING).
   • The Approver Persona is set to Reporting Manager (REPORTING_MANAGER).
   • SLA is enabled with 1 stage (e.g., auto-approve after 72 hours).
3. If the Reporting Manager clicks Approve → the document moves to the APPROVED (Final Approval) node.
4. If the Reporting Manager clicks Reject → the document moves to the REJECTED (Returned/Rejected) node.

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Real-World Example 2: Expense Workflow V4 (Advanced, Multi-Stage)

This is a production-ready 4-step expense workflow that demonstrates the full power of the designer. It is marked ACTIVE and LOCKED (because it has live expense requests in progress), so it opens in READ-ONLY mode.

Step 1: Reporting Manager

• Step Name: Reporting Manager
• Approver Persona: Reporting Manager (REPORTING_MANAGER) — dynamically resolves to the submitter's direct manager.
• Allowed Actions: Add Comment, Return for Correction, Step Approve, Withdraw Expense.
• Step Action Notifications:
  • Step Approve fires: Expense Approval Required→Approver and Expense Step Approved→Requestor.
  • Reject fires: Expense Rejected.

Notice the action is Step Approve (not just "Approve"). This is because there are more steps after this one — the system uses STEP_APPROVE for intermediate approvals and reserves APPROVE for the final step.

Step 2: Project Manager Approval

• Step Name: Project Manager Approval
• Approver Persona: Project Manager (PROJECT_MANAGER) — resolves to the manager of the project linked to the expense.
• Project Context: Set to Dynamic — the system automatically detects the project from the submission record. (You can also choose Specific to hard-lock it to a single project.)

• All four action types are configured with default MSM notifications:
  • Step Approve → Expense Approval Required→Approver, Expense Step Approved→Requestor
  • Reject → Expense Rejected
  • Add Comment → Expense Comment Added
  • Return for Correction → Expense Returned for Correction

Step 3: High Value Expense Approval (with Conditional Logic!)

• Step Name: High Value Expense Approval
• Approver Persona: High Value Expense Approver (HIGHVALUE_EXPENSE) — a custom Persona created specifically for large expenses (e.g., a Finance Director or CFO).

• Conditional Logic is ENABLED with the following rule:
  • Field: Amount
  • Operator: Greater than
  • Value: 8000
  • Preview: "This step will execute if Amount greater than 8000"

This means: If an employee submits an expense of $5,000, this step is skipped entirely and the document goes straight to Step 4. But if the expense is $10,000, the High Value Expense Approver must review it first!

On the canvas, you can see a third outbound connection from this node: CONDITION NOT MET (amber) which bypasses the step.

Step 4: Account Approval (Final Step)

• Step Name: Account Approval
• Approver Persona: Accounts (ACCOUNT_APPROVER) — the final gatekeeper. This is a Specific User persona assigned to the Accounts team.
• Action: This is the final step, so it uses the standard Approve action (not Step Approve). When the Accounts team clicks Approve, the document reaches the terminal APPROVED node.
• Notifications:
  • Approve → Expense Approved
  • Reject → Expense Rejected
  • Add Comment → Expense Comment Added
  • Return for Correction → Expense Returned for Correction

The Complete Flow Summary

Employee Submits Expense
    ↓
Step 1: Reporting Manager (always runs)
    ↓ Step Approve
Step 2: Project Manager (always runs, dynamic project)
    ↓ Step Approve
Step 3: High Value Expense Approver (ONLY if Amount > 8000)
    ↓ Step Approve (or SKIP if condition not met)
Step 4: Accounts (final approval)
    ↓ Approve
✅ APPROVED — or at any step → ❌ REJECTED